Israel’s political-security cabinet voted to approve a plan to occupy the central Gaza City overnight 7-8 August. According to the official statement from the Prime Minister’s office “the IDF will prepare for taking control of Gaza City while distributing humanitarian assistance to the civilian population.”
This marks a major escalation in the war that has raged since October 2023. Israel claims the plans pursue five goals: disarming Hamas, returning Israeli hostages, demilitarizing the Gaza Strip, gaining “security control” in the Gaza Strip, and “the establishment of an alternative civil administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority.” (CONTINUED - 201 WORDS)